Jason Hanson Retires From The NFL

Mike Garafolo reports that the low offers he received from the Lions had him considering retirement.

Garafolo adds that Hanson was also dealing with a foot injury.

“It was time to make a decision,” Hanson said, via DetroitLions.com. “It was the right time to step away. “Ultimately, it’s my heel – the problem I developed last year. Now that we’re starting a new year, it’s still an issue. I have the desire. I have the determination, as I said earlier, to come back. Each time I’d start to push it, I’d kind of short-circuit. I realized that at this point of my career, I don’t want to perform in a compromised way. It’s not good for the team. I lost a little of my desire to play injured.”

Detroit brought in free agent K David Akers for a recent visit, but wound up leaving without a contract. Hanson, 42, has been the Lions kicker for over two decades, which is absolutely remarkable. He’s played the most games for a single team and is the all-time leader in 50-yard field goals with 51.